Books

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

I am passionate about reading books and love helping children around me inculcate this habit as early as they can hold a book, pay attention to a story being read out and recognize pictures. However, there weren’t many books around (except the textbooks) in my childhood. The reason being there wasn’t any readers in my family.

My mother is a casual reader who reads magazines, plenty of them but never had any inclination to read books. Though we’ve had subscriptions to many magazines over the years. Reader’s Digest has been my favourite amongst them all, but reading for me had been limited to short stories for a long time.

Though there were a couple of subscriptions for children’s magazines in my childhood they too stopped when I stepped in grade 3 because I was supposed to give my undivided attention to the school textbooks. In an age where computers and the Internet were unheard of, I had no source to read books other than the magazines at home.

My school library had a plethora of children’s books but they weren’t issued till we reached grade 5. In the interim period, my attention span for reading books reduced to a couple of pages. But, my love for books, lingered. I remember craving to read beautiful books, full of hope, energy, and positivity, though fairy tales never lured me. My brief visits to my maternal grandparent’s place were where I saw my grandfather and my aunt spend long hours reading books, discussing them at length with the family and never spending more than half an hour watching TV.

It was then, in my heart I had resolved that one day when I’ll be free from the shackles of textbooks, I’ll read many books. Years slipped past and finally came the day when I could afford to spend time and money as I pleased. I rushed to the nearby bookstore but was lost wondering how to pick a book. I had no clue, no experience to guide me. I was ashamed to admit, I hadn’t read many books except a few classics in my growing up years.

Dumping the initial hesitation, I decided to go by the gut instinct after reading the blurb and recommendations of the bookstore keeper. I very well remember reading a page a day and taking up to 40 days to read a book many people would read in a matter of hours. I didn’t have the attention span to be a voracious reader. I would marvel at the pictures being painted in every sentence, revel in their insight, plunge in their depth, seek to connect with my personal life, making reading a book take almost as long a writer would take to write it.

I have come a long way since. When I was planning on having a baby, the one thing I had clear in my mind was to gift my child the joy of reading. The best way to teach a child is by practising the same ourselves. I was certain about having many books around, reading them with and to my child to encourage her to fall in love with them at her own pace.

In the rough patches of my life, when I was struggling to survive, I was well-aware of my dwindling passion for reading. But my child was growing up every day. I had to keep reading, I had to let my child see the positive impact of reading books. This was when I started reviewing books. The deadlines to review gave me the needed push to keep reading, writing reviews for an audience made me read well, have a conversation about the book in my reviews and connect with authors and like-minded readers.

Today, I can see my daughter pick a book over anything else. Over television and computer.

The many children’s books I missed reading as a child, I’m reading as a parent, as my child’s companion and never have I felt too old to read them. Maybe it’s love, maybe it’s my thirst for the written word that has forever enticed me to be surrounded by books.

In reading, I have found solace, a voice, a companion that I want to gift my child. I want her to always be open to learning. Be appreciative of art and creativity. Enjoy discussions, travel in her mind, stay inspired, have enough thoughts to reason and reflect every situation in life.

The biggest gift has been the bonding I have developed with my child, reading books together. We read the same story but perceive it differently, guided by our life experiences and enjoy sharing them to learn more than the moral, a story has to deliver.

* This post is part of the April A to Z Challenge 2016. My theme is Parenting.

Post navigation

65 thoughts on “Books”

I used to read quite a bit as a youngster. Then in my twenties and thirties for some reason I didnt do much reading. In my forties, I started reading again – but mostly during my commute to/from work. And now that I’m into my fifties… I’m finding time to read more frequently.

The best part is you’ve rediscovered your passion to read in your forties and as long we are able to make time & interest for reading, everything falls in place.
Thank you for sharing your personal experience Mary 😀

It was just the same for me to as a kid. While we had subscription of a few children’s magazines at home, I started reading classics and other books due to the library period in school and the fun of issuing books from library and there has been no looking back since then. I started reading to my son pretty early. Now that he is a teenager, he reads books but is not a voracious reader. Here’s hoping that he’d take to books like me sometimes soon. I believe that gift of reading books is the best gift you can give to your child! Kudos to you for doing just that 🙂

The pace and depth with which you read books and review them too inspires me to keep reading. Surrounding myself with book-lovers has helped me stay interested and reading.
Most certainly if he loves reading he will read at his own pace all his life. That’s what really matters 😀

Can relate very well with the post as books are my favorite and post is on bibliophiles. 😉

I loved the way you told that you read in childhood magazines ,Chamak and Adventures of Tintin were my most favourite. I bought their first editions .
But then same for focusing on text books, I lost my hobby and back then now in my college life I have spare time and I started reading again and am happy to be back to my love for books 🙂

And wow you and your daughters bonding with the books ,that’s superb, I wish I too had this bonding with my mom :’)
But she don’t read 😦 .
I wish one day I convince her to reading 🙂 and then she won’t be bored too.

Welcome to my online abode CW 😀
My mom reads all the time, but it is mainly magazines not novels however, my father was never inclined towards reading books and now even post retirement he chooses the newspaper over books. I feel it has to be an inclination in one’s own heart like for any art form to be drawn towards books and stay put till the last word.
I’m glad you’ve found your love for books back in college and good luck to you in motivating your mom to read and discuss books with you 😀
Thank you for sharing your personal experience, loved hearing from you 😀

You didn’t have much books around in your childhood, but you wanted to read. I was just the opposite. My Mom had taken Masters in English Literature and my aunts were also ardent readers. There were books everywhere! God! Complete series of Mills and Boons, Shakespeare, Danielle Steel, Robin Cook – you name it they had it. But, I never read!

Until that day after the 12th Board exams and sitting idle for a good 4 months, wondering about the future… I decided to read Gone with the Wind! And that was it! There was no looking back. 🙂 Loved it, ME! I’m glad that Pari has picked up your habit.

Welcome to my blog Ramya 🙂
That’s so good that you’ve had a family of book-lovers because I can imagine the joy of discussing, gifting and gifting books to your loved ones 😀
Yay! so glad you too loved reading Reader’s Digest 😀

I started reading after I was done with my teens. Since then, I was an avid reader but I had no clue about the whole world of children’s literature that existed. Now that I am a mother, I have discovered Seuss and Eric Carle. I understand the bonding with your child that you are mentioning in the article. It is special!Yellow Mellow Life

I know, ‘B’ has unleashed bibliophiles to profess love like never before all across the blogosphere.
As far finding time, pick a book that you think you’ll enjoy and just stay put at reading a few pages daily, that’s how I do it when life gets crazy busy 😀
All the best for the A to Z Challenge 🙂

At least you had magazine subscriptions whilst growing up. I had to rely on friends and neighbors for that. I never cared for text books except English and I think I started reading at the age of 13. Initially they were Enid Blyton and Nancy Drew and it changed to trashy romance novels from mills and boons during my late teens and early twenties. I loved chick lit and crime thrillers too during college but now only travelogues and blogs catch my interest. Even if I pick fiction now I’m more interested about the place where the plot is based. I wouldn’t call myself a voracious reader, avid would be more appropriate but i feel sad as to how books no longer interest me unless they’re travelogues. Sometimes I pick up a crime thriller or chicklit from my favourite authors just for the sake of reading a book, but I realized I no longer enjoyed them. Maybe one day I will get that passion back.

I remember craving to read The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew & Enid Blyton in my teens when they were available in our school library and could be borrowed for a week. But my parents strongly discouraged me from reading them to not let me waste my time and rather invest my energy and awake hours in doing my school work. I am pretty confident that was the phase that fanned my love for books.
As far shifting interests, I have come along the same lines as you and now I find it very difficult to love works of fiction, all I want to read is non-fiction. Maybe it’s a phase, maybe it’s a diversion to show me way to a bigger goal in life. Irrespective of the genre, let’s just keep reading and enjoying it 😀
Love your lengthy, rich in personal experience comments Sara ❤

Wow. Your parents sound so similar to mine. 😂
We don’t own a single fictional book at home. Except the Harry potter series for which I had to throw a tantrum. The Enid blytons and hardy boys were read from the school library borrowed from my sister’s library card since high school students weren’t allowed to borrow Blyton, and mills and boons from the internet on my computer. 😂 Come to think of it 85% of my fiction reading happened on the phone thanks to epub and PDFs.😀

I read my Nancy Drew & Enid Blyton from school library in bits and pieces because I wasn’t allowed to waste a second on reading books other than the school textbooks. As far Harry Potter I have bought a complete series box set and I’m hoping to read it before the next book in the series comes out. So basically, I am trying hard to read the famous titles and also collecting them for my daughter to read. I feel somewhere down the line unavailability of the books fanned our passion to read more and more 🙂

Reading is the best way to improve your mind and if you want to get smart and stay smart so you can have the edge over the average person you need to learn new things and reading is one of the best ways to learn and expand your knowledge. If you don’t read, then you won’t know what you’re missing and you will be devoid of all the latest information. In some cases a lack of information can rob you of your right to live the best life experience possible and it can even cause you to miss out on vital and helpful information.

Reading is my first love, books are places where I can lose myself, find myself, escape, learn…I can’t imagine a life without reading, and I’m glad you found your way to books and are inculcating the reading habit in your kids.

Wow! it’s great to connect with people who share my love for books. I love seeing books through the eyes of a bibliophile because that adds a lot of depth and perspective to my own love for books 🙂
Thank you for stopping by Modern Gypsy.
Let’s rock the A to Z Challenge together 😀

Hi There. I felt as though you were narrating my own story! Reading is one love that will stay with you till the end. It is the one hobby that nurtures, entertains, teaches and criies you far from the madding crowd. Loved your soulful take on BOOKS! Cheers 🙂
@KalaRavi16 fromRelax-N-Rave

you are so right! Joy of reading is actually the best gift you can give as a parent . Not only do you get quality time together but the habit develops at such an early stage .. its a great post for B . Keep them coming and you would have your AtoZ of parenting ready to be published as an ebook. do send me its copy? 🙂

Hahaha aren’t you a sweetheart CM ❤
You sure know how to pump up the gusto and make people create magic with the happy bubble. It's a gift I tell you 🙂
Thank you for your constant support without which this excitement around A to Z Challenge would have long fizzled out.
{Hugs}

aww! really? well let me share a secret. I am a nervous wreck coz its my first time at AtoZ and now that I am neck deep and so so highly involved … I have to carry on.
So now you know the reason why I am encouraging .. coz I get the same love back.
Hugs right back at you:)

I had a couple of hand-me-down Children’s Digests from my sister, and I loved reading those books again and again. My mom noticed my liking towards them, and she subscribed me for it too 🙂
Enid Blyton was my favourite author as a kid. I worshiped Nancy Drew, till the day I realized that all the books had a similar plot 😛
Now, I prefer books over human company. You may often find me with my Kindle, hidden in a corner, not wanting to be approached by anyone for any type of conversation. 😀
I must say, it’s a brilliant post. Just a tip: GoodReads is a great place to be, and if you feel your daughter is old enough for it, she can create an account there. It’s a nice place to check out reviews, find new books, and post short reviews on your own too 🙂
Have a great weekend!

I have never been able to bring myself to read books from a Kindle or any e-reader. I love the feel of paper between my fingers and to flip pages that fill me with a feeling of achievement having come a long way from reading books over months to matter of hours. Same pinch for loving Enid Blyton and discovering how Nancy Drew actually had similar plot all through the series 😀
Thanks for the tip dear, but I am on GoodReads, though I don’t use it extensively because there are phases when I read very less (like now due to school holidays). Maybe, I should connect with you there to have access to fantastic book recommendations 😀

I always had the same passion for reading and was able to read a lot a s a child. I wanted to pass this on to my children. My son just never developed it. He has a little bit of a comprehension problem and reading is just not enjoyable because he has to work so hard to make sure he grasps what he is reading.

My daughter, on the other hand, loves the written word. I buy her books for her birthdays and Christmas present and she loves them. She has her favorites that she reads again and again.

We as parents can only try to guide our children, inspire them by our actions but in the long run, it is individual preferences that guide them. If not the written word, I’m sure your son would have an inclination to something he completely enjoys and loves losing himself in. May he find similar joy as we find in reading in what devotes his time in 🙂
Thank you TN for sharing your personal experience, loved hearing from you 😀

I am glad that you found the love for reading books and most importantly that you passed it on to your child. When I was kid my dad inculcated the habit of reading books and I’ve been forever grateful to him because of that.
Reema D’souza fromReem Writes…

When I was three and my mum asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I asked “To read properly” I think says it all! I’ve always loved books and being able to read is one of the best things you can teach a child – the world will be their oyster. I think your Challenge theme is such an important one 🙂
Pempi
A Stormy’s SidekickSpecial Teaching at Pempi’s Palace

Passing on the love of reading books is a dying trend. Younger parents read kindle and a lot of e-books. I still enjoy the feel of paper between my fingers and the excitement of turning a page. Glad to know you uphold the sacred tradition of passing on a Mama’s love of the book to your precious daughter. In future she will thank you for it. I love the Jackie Kennedy quote you inserted. Very inspirational.

I’m with you in loving paper books. I have somehow never felt inclined to read e-books and I ‘m more than happy to see my child have one gadget less in her life, especially when I want her to spend a lot of time reading 😀
That quote is my favorite too 😀

Books are life. I have always been a reader because my mother introduced us to fiction early on. Enid Blyton ruled my childhood and my post precious memories are of when my mom would take me and my sis to the bookstore on the last day of exams to pick 2 books of our choice! It was amazing!
The habit died, more due to lack of time when Zo was born, but I am glad that I am back now. I read a bit everyday, and Zo has just started reading so it’s amazing!
I am often surprised when I come across folks who picked up reading later in life – and very impressed too. Glad you ensured you picked up a habit by yourself! You can never be alone if you have books 🙂

The beauty of picking up reading late in my life is that when I read the children’s books with Pari, we both are amazed to the same extent that makes it two of us enjoying reading the book and guessing what’s next 😀

I love reading too. Reading somehow helps me keep cool and calm. I tried e-books but somehow there is something amiss. maybe, the feel of the paper, or maybe the fact that I cannot use my collection of bookmarks… Loved your post.As Time Flies

The love for gadgets seems to be stealing the younger generation of hobbies, interest in sports and almost everything that used to define entertainment when I was a child. I really hope my daughter’s love for books grows with time and lasts a lifetime 😀

I was exactly like that! And I introduced the world of books to my kids when they were quite young too…Now they pick books over anything else like your daughter, and I know what it feels like!! Pure happiness! Not to forget their vivid imaginations thanks to books!

FREE Weight Loss Ownership Course!

Let’s Connect:

Face behind the blog:

I am My Era, the name I chose because its initials read ME and that's what I blog about. I have noticed that the deeper I know about myself, the clearer I understand others and this blog is my journey into my own self.

I have begun a wonderful relationship with me through this blog.

I love to share my survival stories, parenting triumphs and failures, steps that are helping me minimize stress, create peace, grow self-love and build a life that I always wished for.

When I'm not working on my mother of the year award, you can find me reading, cooking or taking photos.

Books I Recommend:

Disclosure:

The Era I Lived In is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.in.